Spotless
by redcherryamber
Summary: A drabble. When geostigma attacks, Rufus only wants one person...   No pairings, but implied Rufus/Tseng.


Spotless

"Out!" Rufus suddenly commands. His hand convulses, sending the water glass skittering across the polished table. Notes scatter, fluttering, haphazard, to the floor. The meetings room is dim – blinds closed against the harsh light here at Healen that none of them are used to yet after so many years in Midgar's perpetual twilight – but Tseng still sees the tell-tale darkening of the marks on Rufus' clenched hand.

Anxious, and unwontedly gentle, Reno murmurs, "Boss…"

"Get out! Now!" Rufus tries and fails to hide a gasp of pain. Tseng rises, positioning himself in front of Rufus. "Reno, Rude, Elena – go."

"Sir." The three junior Turks stand together, turn to leave. Behind them, Rufus says, "No. R – Reno. Stay."

Tseng moves to Rufus' side, but the president shakes his head, his eyes dark with controlled agony. "_Just_ Reno."

Tseng looks at Rufus and nods, once. The director's expression is schooled neutrality, as always, but he glances at Reno as he heads for the door, and his dark eyes are eloquent of a different kind of pain.

Alone with Rufus, Reno is efficient and calm. He's seen too much – done too much – to be bothered by the frailties of the body. As soon as the others have gone Rufus falls to his knees and vomits. The marks of the stigma ooze black liquid that falls dripping from his hands and slowly stains the bandages across his chest and neck. Reno helps him to remove his jacket, brings bowls and towels from the cupboard beneath the sink, flicks the switch to boil the kettle so there will be hot water later.

Reno helps when help is needed – cleans up, places one steadying hand on Rufus' back as he struggles to catch his breath. The Turk says little – only a few, quiet words – "Okay Boss? – It'll pass soon, yo."

Reno fetches clean towels – wipes away vomit and seeping black fluid. Sometimes – when it's this bad – there are traces of red mixed with the black ooze. Reno folds the stains inward into the bundled towels, out of sight, and puts them in the laundry bin by the sink. The red is probably just some feature of the mysterious black liquid that the scientists and doctors have so far failed to analyse successfully.

Rufus Shinra never bleeds.

Reno takes the clean, pressed handkerchief from the pocket of Rufus' pristine jacket – hung safely over the back of a chair – and hands it to the president without a word. The eyes water when the body suffers these kinds of convulsions – such tears don't count as tears – but Reno knows that Rufus still prefers to deal with them himself.

Rufus Shinra never cries.

When the pain makes Rufus want to scream, Reno takes his hand and says, "That's it. Hold on…"

He doesn't let go, even when the bones in his slender fingers crack.

Then it's over again – for now. Reno cleans up, unwinds the stained bandages and throws them into the incinerator, bathes the marks of the stigma with water that is as hot as Rufus can bear. Then he re-dresses the stigma wounds with skilled, careful hands, wrapping them out of sight under white, sterile bandages. As he works, Reno talks just like he used to in the office, back in the days when Shin-Ra ruled the world.

"There you go, Boss. So – busy day today? 'Cause I heard that new hydro-electric company over in Kalm's been kicking up a fuss about the new competition laws, yeah?"

Rufus replies as though it's business as usual, until Reno looks him up and down, helps him to his feet and fetches his jacket.

"All done, yo," Reno says. He glances around the spotless room. "Shall I call them back in?"

Rufus hesitates. He puts a hand on Reno's arm. "Reno – promise me something."

"Yeah?"

"Swear you'll never let him see me like that. Never."

Reno looks Rufus straight in the eye and nods. "You got it Boss."

Rufus takes a slow breath. He sits back at the table.

Reno has gathered the fallen papers into a pile. Rufus straightens them as Reno opens the door and goes downstairs to fetch the others. Rufus sips fresh water from the glass Reno has washed and refilled.

One by one, the Turks enter the meetings room and take their places at the table as though returning from a coffee break.

Rufus watches them as they arrive, his blue gaze steady.

Reno, Rude, Elena.

And Tseng.


End file.
